The murders of liberals, bloggers, secularists and LGBT rights activists continue in Bangladesh. Over the past few weeks, a Hindu tailor, a gay rights advocate, a social media activist and a Sufi leader have been killed by suspected Islamists. The exact identity of the killers is widely contested. The Jamaat-e-Islami, the leading Islamist group, denies any link to the attacks — while many disagree with the breezy attempt to connect the Islamic State to the killings. Any which way you look at them, the murders cannot be seen in isolation from the ongoing war crimes trials of those who collaborated with the Pakistan Army during the Liberation War of 1971, causing countless deaths in the months leading up to the creation of Bangladesh. The attacks are but indications of a battle being waged between two sets of ideas on the country’s past, present and future. The first set imagines Bangladesh as a nation born of a struggle against the linguistic and cultural hegemony of what was then West Pakistan, and founded on a commitment to liberal, secular and civic values. The second imagines the country not in civic terms but as yet another outpost of political Islam. The activists have bravely taken positions on the front lines of this struggle against Islamists. It is this stark contrast that has rendered the rights activists sworn enemies of the Islamists.
The sharp battle lines, drawn ideologically and on the streets, go back to the Shahbag protests in 2013 seeking capital punishment for Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla and a ban on the organisation. To the ruling Awami League’s credit, the government set up the war crimes trials despite threats from the Islamists. It also sought thus to delegitimise groups such as the Jamaat-e-Islami that had harboured war criminals and allied themselves with powerful political forces, including successive military dictatorships and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, to stall the transition of Bangladesh into a progressive, democratic nation state. But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has tended to limit her government’s role to prosecuting the trials. The government has failed to bring the assassins of bloggers, rights activists and others to justice — it perhaps fears a greater blowback from the Islamists if it does so. As crucially, it is refusing to articulate the political narrative connecting the attacks to the war crimes trials. This abdication exposes ordinary citizens as the first line of defence against extremism. Ms. Hasina will be jeopardising Bangladesh’s future as a democratic nation if her government does not rally on the side of the rights activists against the Islamists. Already, groups such as the Islamic State seem to be emboldened by the actions of the Islamists and have publicly sought to deepen their base in Bangladesh. The longer the government remains on the sidelines in this fight for secularism, the stronger the forces of extremism will become.
- contest
verb
past tense: contested; past participle: contested
kənˈtɛst/
- 1.engage in competition to attain (a position of power)."she declared her intention to contest the presidency"
synonyms: compete for, contend for, vie for, challenge for, fight for, fight over,battle for, struggle for, tussle for;
- wage
- verbcarry on (a war or campaign).
it is necessary to destroy their capacity to wage war
- hegemony
hɪˈdʒɛməni,-ˈɡɛ-/
noun
- leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others."Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871"
synonyms: leadership, dominance, dominion, supremacy, ascendancy,predominance, primacy, authority, mastery, control, power, sway, rule,sovereignty; - nounকর্তৃত্বনেতৃত্ব
- nounनायकत्वनेतृत्वप्राधान्य
- outpostˈaʊtpəʊst/noun
- 1.a small military camp or position at some distance from the main army, used especially as a guard against surprise attack."troops in some outposts have surrendered"
- 2.a remote part of a country or empire."a few scattered outposts along the west coast"
- nounফাঁড়িঘাঁটিথানাচৌকিদূরবর্তী শাখা বা উপনিবেশचौकीसीमाचौकीदूरवर्ती स्थानबाहरी चौकीnounअउटपोस्टdelegitimizediːlɪˈdʒɪtɪmʌɪz/verbverb: delegitimise
- withdraw legitimate status or authority from."the country has been delegitimized by the world community"
- अमान्य
harbour
ˈhɑːbə/
verb
past tense: harboured; past participle: harboured
- 1.keep (a thought or feeling, typically a negative one) in one's mind, especially secretly."she started to harbour doubts about the wisdom of their journey"
- 2.give a home or shelter to."woodlands that once harboured a colony of red deer"
- nounআশ্রয়পোতাশ্রয়verbআশ্রয় দেত্তয়াআশ্রয় লত্তয়ামনে মনে পোষণ করাপোতাশ্রয়আশ্রয় দেওয়া বা আশ্রয় লওয়া
- बंदरगाहnounशरणबन्दरगाहआश्रमआश्रयगृहवृद्धाश्रमverbशरण देनाआश्रय देनापनाह देनाप्रश्रय देनाविचार करनाबनाए रखनाarticulateadjectiveɑːˈtɪkjʊlət/
- 1.having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently."she was not very articulate"
synonyms: eloquent, fluent, communicative, effective, persuasive, coherent, lucid,vivid, expressive, silver-tongued, vocal; - 2.technicalhaving joints or jointed segments."delicate articulate plants with a slender central stem"
verbɑːˈtɪkjʊleɪt/- 1.pronounce (something) clearly and distinctly."he articulated each word with precision"
- 2.form a joint."the mandible is a solid piece articulating with the head"
- adjectiveগ্রন্থিবদ্ধস্পষ্টসন্ধিযুক্তগ্রন্থিলverbস্পষ্টভাবে উচ্চারণ বলাস্পষ্টভাবে উচ্চারণ করাস্পষ্ট উচ্চারণসহকারে কথা বলাগ্রন্থিবদ্ধ করা
- adjectiveस्पष्टव्यक्तverbसाफ़ साफ़ बोलनागाँठदारसन्धियुक्तजोड़ा हुआabdicationˌabdɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/noun
- 1.an act of abdicating or renouncing the throne."Edward VIII did not marry until after his abdication"
synonyms: resignation, retirement; - 2.failure to fulfil a responsibility or duty."we are witnessing an abdication of responsibility on the part of European governments"
synonyms: disowning, renunciation, rejection, refusal, avoidance, abnegation,relinquishment, abjuration, repudiation, waiving, yielding, forgoing,abandonment, surrender, disgorgement, casting aside "an abdication of responsibility"jeopardizeˈdʒɛpədʌɪz/verbgerund or present participle: jeopardising- put (someone or something) into a situation in which there is a danger of loss, harm, or failure."a devaluation of the dollar would jeopardize New York's position as a financial centre"
- verbবিপন্নবিপদ্গ্রস্ত করাঝুঁকিগ্রহণ করাঝুঁকি নেত্তয়াবিপন্ন করাजोखिम में डालनाverbआपत्ति में डालनाख़तरे में डालनाemboldenɪmˈbəʊld(ə)n,ɛm-/verbpast tense: emboldened; past participle: emboldened
- 1.give (someone) the courage or confidence to do something."emboldened by the claret, he pressed his knee against hers"
synonyms: give courage, make brave/braver, encourage, hearten, strengthen,fortify, stiffen the resolve of, lift the morale of; - 2.cause (a piece of text) to appear in a bold typeface."centre, embolden, and underline the heading"
- verbউত্সাহিত করাসাহসী করাverbप्रोत्साहित करनासाहसी बनानाउत्साह देनानिर्भीक बनानासाहस देनासाहसान्वित करना
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